We did good, Right?
by the all consuming void
Summary: A team of soldiers are sent into China to stop a proposed nuclear attack. R&R please.
1. Chapter 1

We did good, Right?

Chapter 1: An end to a Beginning

At the centre of the parade ground, with the crowd around it was a small, unassuming monument. Three pyramids of varying sizes on a squat pedastal, on which some words were inscribed.

When men sacrifice everything they have

for you

How do you thank them?

And after that:

"We did good, right Captain?" - Corporal Casey Grant

An American general stood and walked towards a podium. He was about sixty, with marbled salt and pepper hair and clear, watery blue eyes. He stopped at the podium and fumbled in his jacket for the longest time. Eventually settling on a piece of paper and his glasses, he put his glasses on the end of his nose and looked up at the fidgeting assembly.

"I hate getting old." he said to polite laughter "But the men and women we are honouring today will not be getting older. It may not be a pleasant thought, but we must understand exactly the atrocities we, as humans, can commit. I spoke to the leader of this team before they went." he gestured the five coffins behind him " And he said to me, 'General Durham, I don't believe this massacre can justify meeting in kind.' to which I foolishly said 'The ends justify the means.' and I can tell you... the ends do not. And Captain Alexei Dragovai, Leuitenant Duke Durham, Corporal Casey Grant, Sargeant Lucy Booth and Sargeant James Garret have paid a dear price for my naievete. I wish I had listened to the brave Captain, if I had, this meeting would not be happening and five of the bravest and most couragous soldiers I have ever known would still be with us. So I will not be here in my capacity as a general." he removed his jacket and tie. "I will be here in my capacity of a foolish old man, who learned more in three days from this team than he ever learned from his considerable career in the military. I learned Integrity. I learned respect... earned respect not given. I learned how you never leave a man behind... So after this speech I will resign, effective immidiately. I will end with saying that... as Captain Dragovai told me... 'No end is permanent... We will see you soon, sir.' as he walked over to the chopper. Thank you for your time." he took his seat, visibly weeping, and watched as the coffins were picked up and moved towards the convoy, to a two hundred gun salute from the men at the barracks. General Walter Durham looked into the sky and sighed, hoping that Captain Alexei Dragovai would have liked his speech... the cynical bastard. Long after the convoy and the crowd had gone he was sat there, as the sun set over the desert he got into his car and drove home. His wife, Linda, was there with dinner.

"I saw your speech on the news," she said "Well done. I think he would have been proud." General Durham smiled sadly as he saw the faces of the five people he had sent to their deaths. War used to be so definate... so absolute. These were the bad guys, you sent the good guys to stop them and the good guys came home and partied. He forgot that even in Vietnam he had lost friends... how war had seemed so unjust back then. He had been fed into the machine and out was spat a General. It took a new event to open his eyes. He wanted nothing to do with the war machine anymore. He smiled earnestly, it was time to take up gardening. He ate his wife's pot roast and enjoyed it more than he had in a long time. Retirement had possibilities.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: With Varying Degrees of Acceptance

23rd January, 2013. 21:32

Alexei Dragovai had been in the Russian military since he was old enough to enlist. The best years of his life served for a fickle and vengeful nation. after the invasion of America he had left the army, disillusioned and hateful. He had gone home to Moscow and left flowers at the scene of the massacre that started the last war. After that he had cashed in on part ownership of a bar he helped an old friend run, after his friend left, to join the army ironically, he had taken sole control of the bar, which had run fine for nearly a year. Then an American came in one winters evening. He ordered a whiskey and was served by Alexei himself. He was an older man with silver hair flecked with black and watery blue eyes. He had adressed Alexei in Russian.

"I'm looking for a Captain Alexei Dragovai and was told I could find him here. Do you know him?"

"I'm not sure if I could reach him... what is it about? Is he in trouble again?" Alexei had to struggle to keep a straight face.

"The world needs him." said the American gesturing his drink for a refill. Alexei waited until the full glass was up to the man's lips before saying:

"Where was the world when I needed it? And I'm not a captain anymore." The American laughed and drained his drink.

"We can sit here arguing semantics all day, Captain. We have a job for you, and we hear you're the best." he smiled in a fatherly fashion at Alexei "We need you to lead a strike team behind enemy lines to stop a nuclear attack."

"Nuclear? If I must... I don't do this for you, American. I do this for the innocents who would die if I don't."

"Oh, there is no question of where your priorities lie, Captain. My name is Walter Durham, General in the Untited States Military." he held out a gnarled hand to Alexei who ignored it. Something about the old man calling him by his old rank unsettled him. "You know, Captain, it is polite to shake a hand when it is offered to you." Alexei grasped it and shook once, smiling at the man's playful comment. "I'll give you a week to get your affairs in order and I'll meet you here for your answer." and he breezed out of the door, leaving Alexei to his thoughts, but in his mind he was already there, already feeling the adrenaline... not even doubting Thomas would bet against him saying yes.

24th January, 2013. 03:22

Corporal Casey Grant stood to attention, feeling pretty damned hard done by. He hated Vinci duty. He and his friends had called it Vinci duty beacause it required you to stand completely still, like a statue, for a whole night for some heinous act like not having boots the major could see his own reflection in or some such. He himself had forgotten to make his bed in perfect condition and was sentenced to four hours under the stars. At first it was pleasant, after the first hour you could be used as a plank of wood, after the second you could be used as a small bridge and by the third you felt like rigor mortis had set in. He was only three minutes away from sweet freedom, for two hours before the morning drills started... and those three minutes would take forever. Each second would crawl and shuffle until the pain in his body would feel all the worse for it. The small alarm on his wrist beeped half-heartedly to signal the end of his sentence and he almost collapsed with relief. He shuffled to the barracks and slipped gratefully into bed. It seemed only minutes had passed when daylight streamed through the windows of the barracks and the morning alarm blared through his head. He grumbled and heaved himself out of bed, chuntering away to himself as he fell into the morning routine. Eventually the men stood to attention outside to be inspected.

The Major walked along the line, with a tall man at his side. The man had grey and black hair and General Stars displayed proudly from his lapel. They stopped at Casey and the general inspected him like a prize dog.

"This is Corporal Grant, General. He's the best damned shot in the barracks, and an accompolished lingustics expert. He comes highly recommended, sir." The general looked at Casey kindly with shimmering blue eyes over his glasses.

"Corporal Grant." he acknowledged

"Sir!" said Casey, saluting.

"Are you willing to go above and beyond the call of duty?"

"Sir! Yes sir!" The General laughed

"A simple 'yes' would suffice." he smiled at Casey "There is a secret mission available and I'm sending only the best, are you interested?"

"Sir! Ye..." The general gave him a reminding glare "Sure."

"Good. You have five days to get everything in order, at ease Corporal."

26th January 2013. 11:20

Sargeant James Garret was losing. His head spun as he tried to hammer it back in place and raise himself up to take the next shot, on his left Tank MacAlear was already on the floor in a pool of fluid, and on his left, Shamrock O'Bannon was reeling as he tried to hammer the next shot in. He aimed down the sights, his vision reeling, and took his shot. he reached for his next one and everything went black.

He woke up hours later, the hangover well set in. His mouth was dry and his head pounding but he heaved himself up and looked around. He was in bed back at the barracks, sunlight streaming through the windows, reacting badly with his eyes. He blinked and groaned under his breath. In the corner was Tank, still out for the count and drooling. James laughed and walked slowly towards the door. As he stepped into the weak winter sun another wave of pain assaulted his head and he almost went back to bed. Sat at the bench were some of his mates and he stumbled towards them.

"Titan!" called one of them "Grats on winning double shot." James smiled and sat next to them, rolling a cigarette.

"I won? Great. What happened?"

"Shamrock went on for three more rounds but missed all of them, leaving you comfortably in the lead" said his best friend, Psycho. "Here's your take." he handed James the money and held out a lighter.

"So, what else happened?"

"Captain MacTavish comes in, all three of you bloody paraletic, and we think 'shit, busted' but he reaches down for the last shot, says 'cheers' and necks it, cool as you like. Tells us to take you blokes to the barracks and leaves. I reckon we should nickname you 'Iron-Liver' from now on."

"My name is Titan." said James, in mock threat.

"Ooooh... terrified." laughed Psycho "MacTavish said you were needed in a briefing when you woke up, so finish that and fuck off."

James stood up when he was done and headed for the briefing room, where Captain MacTavish and an American were waiting for him.

"This is "Titan" Garret," intoduced the Captain "Titan, this is General Durham." James saluted but the general held out a hand.

"Where I come from we greet men by shaking their hand." Smiled Durham, as he held out a worn hand, James shook it and smiled back.

"Titan is an incredible demolitions man, he can even make explosives on the fly if neccessary. He is smart and loyal, he's certainly my best man."

"I'm sure we should let him decide for himself. Sargeant Garrett, we are mounting a strike team to stop a proposed nuclear launch, We are negotiating, but we need to hurry."

"Nuclear? The magic words, I'm in." smiled Garret

"You have three days to get everything sorted then, good luck."

27th January, 2013. 02:00

Sargeant Lucy Booth pulled out her LMG and placed the bipod on the sandbags, gripping it frimly. She looked downrange and pulled back on the trigger, watching the little wooden targets splinter as she destroyed them. She couldn't hear the footsteps behind her and she nearly shot holes into the barracks as she turned around. Behind her was Lieutennant Miller, smiling at her.

"The Captain wants a word." he said, turning on his heel and leaving. She threw the spent gun onto the ground and stomped towards the briefing room. Inside was Captain Jonathan Stubbings, talking to an American General.

"Ah, Sargeant Booth. This is the one I was telling you about, General." He looked at Lucy "Sargeant, this is General Durham." Lucy saluted, but the general held out a hand to shake, which she took, more than a little mystified.

"She looks... different to what I expected." said the general.

"Yes, hard to believe those skinny arms can even hold a pistol, let alone heavy weaponry, but here she is, the best in my outfit."

The general turned to Lucy, smiling kindly "We are mounting a strike team to stop a proposed nuclear launch, are you interested?"

"I can't stand by and let a nuclear launch happen... I would be honoured, sir."

"Good, you have two days to get yourself sorted, good day, sargeant."


End file.
